Temple vs. USC vs. ? Forum

[shavisimo2]

Having trouble deciding between a full ride to Temple or USC (haven't heard about money) and still waiting on Michigan, Texas, UCLA - 167 3.8 - and want to go into sports law and potentially work for a league or organization. USC has great contacts but I'm from Philly and Temple would probably help me with the local teams.

Also an outside chance at going to Penn State (my undergrad school) or Illinois (30k per year)

Anyone with any knowledge of sports law or people who have been in similar situations have any advice?

[SeanB]

Having trouble deciding between a full ride to Temple or USC (haven't heard about money) and still waiting on Michigan, Texas, UCLA - 167 3.8 - and want to go into sports law and potentially work for a league or organization. USC has great contacts but I'm from Philly and Temple would probably help me with the local teams.

Also an outside chance at going to Penn State (my undergrad school) or Illinois (30k per year)

Anyone with any knowledge of sports law or people who have been in similar situations have any advice?

I wouldn't bother to respond, except I know a little about sports law and USC Law.

If you take a full ride from Temple, you will be able to afford to take a low paying job in sports law. That might be a good place to start. If you don't have any connects this could help you, this could give you options as opposed to being in massive debt. Even at USC, you probably won't make biglaw money, even with biglaw grades and at a top 25 straight out of school in sports law, unless you graduate near the top and make the right connections. The job is too sexy and a lot of kids will work for peanuts to get their foot in. On the other hand, USC is a big player in that field it's one of your best shots to get paid and open up your options in that field. You better be ready to do the "LA" thing. Talk to friend who lives their if you don't understand what that is.

As an undergrad I worked for two sports attorneys who were both professors and sports agents. They represented many athletes, including some who are well known. I did legal and media research and variety of other projects for them. I came away knowing that sports law requires networking, contacts, and connections. Internships and personal connections are critical for quality employment. It helps if you played Div 1/2/3 sports or have a successful coaching background. Yes, there is a jock-o-cracy. The field is full of very smart former D-3 athletes (think Bill Belichick, Wesleyan Grad, Scott Boras, UPacificLaw) and jock sniffing Ivy/Potted Ivy league-types (Arn Tellem - I believe he's on the USC faculty).

USC offers serious connections in LA for sports and entertainment. I don't know about Temple. They might have a lot to offer. I don't know about your personal contacts in the field. If you want to live on the east coast, a full ride from Temple would be hard to turn down unless you have rich parents or serious trust fund. If you want to live in LA, jump all over USC. You'll me the right people there, but you need the personality to sell yourself to them.

Working for sports lawyers for 3 years and having some strong USC connections doesn't make me an expert, but it thought it might be worth sharing.

[PDaddy]

As undecided as you seem, I first assumed u were talking about University of South Carolina (aka the other USC). This is a no-brainer. USC all the way. The best advice I got on this topic was from Johann Lee (of Northwestern). He advised me to get into the best school I can get into, rather than focussing on "specialties". The only way your intended field should come into play is if two schools are seemingly alike in prestige, caliber and programs...like BU and BC, or Miami and Temple.

This makes sense on many levels. 1) your goals could change, 2) schools often look different from the inside, 3) there are visiting 3L programs that allow students to take specialty courses in their fields of choice and even get certificates (so you can have a prestigious degree and still get your specialized training), 4) one can always transfer from a higher ranked school if he/she doesn't like it or if it's too expensive (transferring from a less prestigious or lower-ranked school is much more difficult), 5) LL.M. and continuing legal ed programs are always an option if one wants to get certified (Marquette, Tulane and NYU have certificates in sports law).

Not only does USC give you a better entry into the area you target, it is head and shoulders above Temple in terms of brand. People seem to forget about visiting 3L programs. That option makes it so much easier to attend the more prestigious schools, even if they do not offer the programs one initially believes he will want/need to go into his intended specialty.

[cwkenneth]

I would certainly agree that choosing a school in the Los Angeles area will prove to be more beneficial in the entertainment/sports law field. However, much of this industry is based on personal connections you have established yourself. Working for a large sports/entertainment firm will not secure you a rewarding career $$$ like a big law job would. If you are to enter into this field of law it is most advantageous to come out of law school with as little debt as possible as it takes years to build a lucrative client list. Most fail at doing this, and as a result, fall out of the business. To be successful you need to have inside connections to college or professional athletes. Many of the most well known sports attorneys were former professional or collegiate athletes, and consequentially have established relationships and connections to many professional athletes.

If you are not dead set on Temple or USC, you may try applying to Loyola Los Angeles or Pepperdine as they are similarly ranked with Temple, have top ranked entertainment law specialties, located in the best area for entertainment/sports law, and may offer substantial scholarship money to you.

Anways, I hope this helps in your decision making.

[shavisimo2]

Thank you all for your input. still very very undecided as you all can tell, but this definitely helps and I will take all the comments into consideration.